This is such a common question, which just comes across as a complete joke to me. I get flamed repeatedly for this but I think Priest are overrated. Don't get me wrong, I like them. I like some of their stuff a helluva lot. However Maiden are far and away my favorite band, and no one really comes close in general.

&quot;Never wanted your approval, never wanted your acceptance. Never wanted to be anything but me&quot; LOG

Join Date: Sep 2008

Location: Buffalo, New York

Posts: 4,561

MAIDEN.

Judas priest has good songs but some of the 80's songs were just ok. with maiden all their stuff is great. and they should rerecord the non dickinson albums with dickinson. at lear iron maiden and killers

Priest had some flaws in the 80's, and honestly, Maiden are a much better metal band. Not in terms of my taste, just what they've done for metal and its fans all around the world. I honestly don't even think any band has come as close as they have to maintaining a special bond in metal than any other.

Besides, Maiden are just....Maiden

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"We praise an act of charity, yet shrug at an act of achievement."

When it comes to the facts, and why I've always loved Maiden as a band, it comes down to this:
Iron Maiden are the only band to make it the popularity level they are at without ever having a decent amount of commercial success. They are the working man's metal band. They always did things THEIR way. Not the way of the music industry or the changing trends, but their own way, regardless of consequences. In the 80s it brought them worship, and in the 90s it brought them a fair amount of critical backlash, but the band always has stayed true to itself. It's not to be taken lightly what Maiden have accomplished. To consider there are bands who have had 500x the commercial support and success of Maiden, but are playing to smaller audiences and have been seeing popularity decline over the years, while Maiden are now, in 2009, at the biggest stage they've EVER been. Their career is still peaking from a success standpoint, and for a band who are 30 years into their professional career, they are making music that, remarkably, the bulk of their fanbase can actually get behind and call great for what it is. The past 3 Maiden albums have all been regarded as successes, regardless of individual opinions, and in the opinions of MANY fans, at least one of the past 3 stands up decently well to the band's "classic" material.

priest had a few off albums but so did maiden. everything after seventh son to BNW was just "wtf", and as was recently discussed in another thread, BNW had lots of shortcommings. plus i would argue that maiden never wrote a track as groovin as rocka rolla.